EU officials last week struck a political compromise on a new framework geared towards preventing human rights abuses and the financing of armed groups through trade in tin, tantalum, tungsten, and gold, also known as “conflict minerals.” The deal envisages obligations for direct importers of these...

Foreign direct investment (FDI) flows towards Africa have experienced a sharp decline in 2015, according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The data informing this trend were released by the UN agency in a report entitled “Global Investment Trends Monitor”, a...

Mining industries can help Africa tap into clean sources of energy to overcome the lack of electricity, says a new World Bank report released on 9 February during the Mining Indaba – an annual conference which gathered professionals from the mining industry in Africa. The report finds in the last...

Over the past twenty years, the commodities price boom has accelerated growth in many economies across Africa. Though prices plummeted in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, a rebound in the post-crisis era has brought many countries back on to the path of sustained growth in the region...

How can Sub-Saharan African countries make the most of the commodity price boom to promote sustainable development? In the context of the opportunities opened up by the boom in commodities prices, how can sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) ensure that the benefits are widely spread and inclusive whilst...

Small-scale miners in developing countries have sought to profit from increased gold prices on international markets. But ensuring sustainable social and environmental conditions through responsible mining require concerted efforts and partnership from actors across the supply chain. The rising...

For the past three years the Africa Progress Panel , a ten-member non-profit body chaired by former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, has brought together experts with a focus on Africa to release an annual Africa Progress Report. This year’s edition included a strong message on the damaging impact...

Kofi Annan, UN Secretary General between 1997 to 2006, has singled out illegal fishing and logging in Africa as two areas requiring international cooperation in order to help further address poverty in the continent. “After more than a decade of growth, there is plenty to celebrate,” said Annan,...

UN lifts ban on Côte d’Ivoire diamond trade The UN Security Council on Tuesday unanimously voted to lift a moratorium on rough diamond imports from the Côte d’Ivoire. The diamond embargo was put in place in 2005, following a period of civil war in the troubled West African country, only now...

The European Commission has proposed a self-certification scheme to better regulate mineral imports into the trading bloc from conflict-affected and high-risk areas. Using an integrated trade and foreign policy approach, one stated aim is to stop profits from traded minerals being used to fund...

Africa’s vast natural resources are worth trillions of dollars, estimations say. However, knowledge about the resources remains limited. This informs the World Bank’s decision to create a 1 billion fund intended to be launched in July 2014 for the mapping of the continent’s resources considered...